Koforidua, June 17, GNA - Ms Francisca Dzata, Eastern Regional Biomedical Scientist, on Wednesday expressed concern about the reluctance of people to donate blood to hospitals, resulting in relying on replacement donation.

She said available statistics indicated that infection rate from replacement donation was higher than voluntary donors. Ms Dzata expressed the concern at this year's World Blood Donors Awards Day in Koforidua.

It was under the theme "100 Per cent Voluntary Non-remunerated Donation" She said out of 3,447 units of blood collected in 2008, 2,204 units were from replacement and 993 units, representing 43 per cent were from voluntary donors.

Ms Dzata noted that replacement put a lot of stress on blood banks during emergencies leading to death of patients when blood was not replaced and appealed to NGOs, co-operate bodies, media houses and religious bodies to assist in kind or cash to intensify blood donation campaign in the Eastern Region.

Dr Addo Larbi, Eastern Regional Clinical Care Officer, in a speech read on his behalf, said with the increase in transmissible infections like HIV and Hepatitis B and C, there was the need to have more voluntary blood donors who would be screened periodically and could be contacted for blood transmission during crisis. He commended students for their commitment to voluntary blood donation at the Koforidua Regional Hospital Blood Bank because for the first time in 10 years, 2,000 students donated blood to the bank.